AET newsletter for professionals and teachers

Spring Term, February 2018, Ed 36

As we make our way towards Spring, after the extraordinary weather this week, we can safely say we’ve had a busy first two months of 2018! From awards to planning our next conference, 2018 is set to be an exciting year at AET! Please do get involved by joining us at the conference, accessing our resources or booking a teacher training session or parent talk. As usual, please do feel free to get in touch if we can support your school or organisation in any way.

Further award news - Inspiring Wellbeing Awards 2018

On February 20th, the Alcohol Education Trust were thrilled to win the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Wellbeing' Award from The Wellbeing Awards 2018. ‘Covering a broad range of topics and age groups we were thrilled to win this award,’ commented Helena Conibear. 'It is recognition that we do not just provide information and guidance but really equip teenagers to lead happier, healthier lives by learning through enjoyable interactive activities that build resilience and self-reliance.’

Join us for The National Alcohol and Drugs Conference 2018

After the success of our first conference in October 2016 held at Middlesex University in partnership with Mentor, we are excited about this year’s conference which will be held on the 21st June at Liverpool John Moores University. The conference will bring together a group of experts to showcase evidence-based and effective good practice that can be used in education and youth settings across the UK for alcohol and drugs education and prevention.

This is set to be a very informative day. The conference will allow professionals to hear from leading experts on the latest research on alcohol and drugs prevention, attend a choice of workshops on evidence-based programmes and receive planning and evaluation advice for effective PSHE.

Workshops will include:

• 10 top tips for delivering effective alcohol and drugs education
• A double CPD session from us on our evidence-based and highly-evaluated Talk About Alcohol programme
• Targetted approaches for vulnerable populations e.g. SEN and LAC
• Mentor quality mark clinic

Keynote speakers will include Andy Burnham, former Health Secretary and Mayor of Greater Manchester and Parliamentary Under Secretary Victoria Atkins (pre-recorded).

We are pleased that places will be available free of charge to teachers and PSHE leads. You can find further information and book your place via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/national-alcohol-drugs-education-conference-2018-tickets-42321982188

AET Feature in Independent Schools Magazine

We are pleased to support a number of independent schools and are recommended as a speaker by The Girls' Schools Association. You can read the feature on our work in The Independent Schools Magazine, outlining planning and delivery of manageable, enjoyable and easily implemented alcohol education on page 12 via

http://www.independentschoolsmagazine.co.uk/issues/2018-feb/feb-magazine.html?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=February%20Emagazine&utm_content=February%20E

-magazine+CID_ae8ca2ec63d480db41c49bcbd3e0d3ce&utm_source=E%20magazine&utm

_term=View%20e-magazine#p=12

Please do get in touch if you work in the independent sector for further information about how we can support your school.

Trustees and Staff Update

We are very sad to say goodbye to Gordon Redley who has gallantly been our Chair of Trustees since the Alcohol Education Trust was founded in 2009. Gordon, as a career Head Teacher, has been a fantastic Chair and has made many valuable contributions to the work of the Trust. We would like to say a huge thank you to Gordon for all of his support and hard work. He will be missed greatly by us all. We are very pleased that Victoria McDonaugh, who again is a founding Trustee, is our new Chair. Victoria brings a wealth of experience as a retired Head of Department of a busy London comprehensive. She is a former High Sheriff of Dorset and is a Deputy Lieutenant involved with many charities and fund raising locally and Internationally.

We are pleased to welcome David Cox, Stephen Foster and Linzi Isaacs MBE as new trustees, bringing a range of skills to our Board – a former CEO of a larger charity, former Head of Safeguarding and Education Services for the Dorset Fire service and legal expertise! We also welcome Libby Gaulton who joins us as our Partnership Manager and will focus on fundraising for us. You can contact Libby on libby@alcoholeducationtrust.org . She’d love to hear from you if you’d like to be involved in any aspect of our work!

Rock Challenge partnership

The 2018 Rock Challenge® UK season is now well underway and we have already entertained over 300 young people at various events across the south coast with quizzes and games in between shows.

Rock Challenge® UK is where students and their teachers create a musical production from conceptualisation through to the live performance, with the challenge to encourage young people to lead healthy lifestyles. Rock Challenge® encourages positive peer pressure and attracts young people who would not otherwise participate in extra-curricular activities and is therefore an effective diversionary tool for children, particularly living in areas of high deprivation. Children talk of the 'natural high' they experience through participation and this supports key messages within the drug education element of the PSHE programme.

Working alongside Rock Challenge® UK, supports the AET's vision for young people to enter adulthood with a balanced understanding of alcohol by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to make responsible and informed choices. Engaging with pupils before they begin drinking helps them to build resilience skills, know how to avoid risky situations and learn how to look after themselves and each other. Our methods don’t focus on negative behaviours and scare tactics but encourage young people to be open about their experiences, worries and attitudes to alcohol enabling an honest and mature dialogue. Our social norms approach highlights improving trends and behaviours in all risk taking by young people, while integrating alcohol education with life skills and resilience.

The interactive market stall takes place during the rehearsals and pupils are always keen to take part in our activities such as the hugely popular Emoji True/False card game, alcohol unit measures and a social norms quiz. Pupils also take part in our interactive learning zone (www.talkaboutalcohol.com) where they explore games, quizzes and clips for themselves.

Parents/ carers and teachers also participate, finding useful information, resources and support. We thoroughly enjoy joining the Rock Challenge® UK team as they travel around the country promoting these positive messages.

2017 Impact Report

We have now completed our Impact Report for 2017. This document takes an in-depth look at who we are, what we do and why we are needed, as well as including staff reflections on the year and summarising our impact and reach. You can take a look at the report via  http://alcoholeducationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Impact_report_2017.pdf .

Fundraising thanks

As always, we are so grateful for the support of donations towards our work. We would like to say a big thank you to Dorchester Choral Society who generously held a collection for us and the Weldmar Hospice at their community singing day in February.

Huge thanks also go to Liverpool Victoria and Nicola Dunning for their very kind support in raising funds and match funding and to Ansvar insurance for not only supporting our work with The Rock Challenge events all over the country again this year, but in supplying an auction gift of lunch for two at Chewton Glen for our fundraising dinner at The HIX Academy on the 17th March. On that note we have a wonderful opportunity to enjoy tea for two with the Right Honourable Sir Oliver Letwin MP at The House of Commons and we are very grateful to him for his ongoing support. If you’d like make a bid for this promise please email kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org

Our final thank yous this month must go to Poundbury Wealth Management and to Epic Print for their wonderful support.

Update on Parent Talks from Kathryn, Northern Coordinator

What a fantastic start to 2018 with over 20 parent sessions booked in already. It is so great to attend a variety of different types of parent sessions. I attended 5 during January reaching about 500 parents, these were held at Brineleas School in Nantwich, Airdale Academy in Castleford, St Wilfrids in Manchester, Ilkley Grammar School, and the Grange School in Northwich.  Attendance at all of the events was excellent.

Ilkley Grammar School hosted a Parent Wellbeing evening and students performed a short play on mental health; there were over 100 parents in attendance and the formal presentation ended with a market place stall event where I was able to have some good discussions with the parents, offering tips on how to talk to their child about alcohol.

I was delighted to attend the Grange School in Northwich, another Parent Well Being evening with about 150 parents, focusing on mental health and e-safety. This was followed by a drinks and nibbles reception where parents had access to information stalls - a wonderful opportunity for parents to have 1-1 chats and take part in our Qwizdom parent perception quiz.

I'm looking forward to working across North Yorkshire over the next couple of months, delivering parent sessions to North Yorkshire Foster Carers. In addition to this, I will be working in partnership with Forward Leeds and Barca, delivering a bespoke session for parents of children attending Leeds High Schools.

If you have any parent's evenings coming up they are an excellent way for us to engage with parents, with so many in attendance. It gives us the opportunity to speak in a less formal capacity on a 1-1 basis, whilst at the same time challenging their perceptions around young people’s behaviour and offering useful tips on how to talk to their child about alcohol. Please get in touch if you'd like further information about how to book a session. kathryn@alcoholeducationtrust.org

Engagement with Manchester United Foundation

Kathryn, our Northern Coordinator,  was delighted to attend Old Trafford Football Ground this month to deliver training to Community Development and Street Reds staff at the Manchester United Foundation. Community Development staff work with 19 schools across Greater Manchester and their objectives are to take Manchester United into the heart of the community, developing young people's skills and building their resilience to achieve their potential with their Partner Schools programme. The Community Development Officers have now received full training and will be able to take our full TAA resource into 16 schools across Greater Manchester. The Street Reds staff use the power of football to give young people an opportunity to pursue their interest in playing, leading and coaching the game. They offer free sessions and alternative activities for young people aged 8 -18 across Manchester, with the opportunity to learn new skills and gain qualifications in a supportive and positive environment outside of the school environment.

Public Health England's Rapid Review on Safeguarding to inform the Healthy Child Programme 5 to 19

The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) for 5 to 19-year-olds sets out the good practice framework for prevention and early intervention services in England for children and young people aged 5 to 19 years. It recommends how health, education and other partners working together across a range of settings can significantly enhance children and young people’s life chances. It is aimed at children’s services practitioners across the range. You can access the full review via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-child-programme-rapid-review-on-safeguarding .

AET resources comprise of www.alcoholeducationtrust.org and www.talkaboutalcohol.com, a Teacher Workbook, booklets ‘Alcohol and You’ for 15yrs+ and ‘Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol’ parent and carer guide. 

We also offer teacher CPD workshops and parent information talks.

For further information on any of the above please contact
Helena Conibear, Founder, Director helena@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Kathryn Arnott-Gent, Parent and Schools Coordinator - N Region kathryn@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Helen Dougan, SE Region & SEND Coordinator hdougan@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Kate Hooper, Schools Coordinator kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org